Winner [Haikyu!! x OC] (Ongoing)

The Search Begins

"Tennis?"

"Not an option."

"Swim?"

"No."

"Basketball?"

"I'm afraid not."

"UGH! Why not?" I dig my hands through my hair in frustration.

As far as first days of school go, today has been relatively normal— if normal includes stumbling around the school grounds trying to figure out which way is north and which way is lunch, and not being able to understand fifty percent of anything anyone says. Well, fifty percent may be generous. My Japanese isn't horrid, but I am certainly not fluent, and that makes it hard to communicate with people who have been speaking it their entire lives.

Without familiar landmarks to aid my sense of direction, I have been relying solely on memory to make my way around. Though my memory hasn't been very helpful, since I only visited the school once before today. This meeting is simply tacking on an extra helping of anxiety— maybe trying to help me get it all out of the way at once.

The administrators were nice enough to assign me to an English-speaking teacher for counseling and advising, and overall to help me get settled into my new school, but I am starting to question their judgment a little. Yes, it is helpful to be able to speak English while I try to learn my way through a Japanese school, but it seems that Mr. Kakeru's grasp on American culture makes him think he can be cold to me. He's been like that ever since I met him, but more so since he broke the news to me that every student is required to join a club.

"Since you just moved here, Miss Kara, you won't be allowed to participate in any sports for a year. You could apply for an exception, but those are rarely granted, and since you're American, I would venture to say that your chances would be even lower," Mr. Kakeru explains.

I glare at him and he shakes his head. "Your family's move here simply means that it would be a longer process. And one that isn't likely to work out this year anyway."

Cold.

I sigh. "Yeah, that makes sense, I get it. So is there any club I will be allowed to join? Without waiting a year? Since I am required to join one?"

He ruffles through some pages on his desk before saying, "The one year hiatus only applies to you joining a club as an active athlete. If you want to be involved in athletics, you could join a sports club as a manager, or there are other clubs like debate, STEM, Languages—"

"I can be a sports manager?" I cut him off. "I'll do that. Can I do it for the tennis team?"

Mr. Kakeru looks annoyed at having been interrupted, but, as if accepting that I'm not very cultured, mumbles something about looking into it and logs onto his computer. After a few moments, he shakes his head. "The tennis teams both have enough managers."

"Swim, then?" I ask, feeling a sense of deja vu.

"The Swim team doesn't use managers."

"Basketball?"

Typing into his computer once more, he eventually looks up to say, "The boys basketball team doesn't seem to have any managers, and the girls team only has one manager. You can talk to the faculty advisors and coaches to see if they could use you."